STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State’s baseball team added three players to its list of honors Friday when the American Baseball Coaches Association named Ace Reese, Jacob Parker, and Tomas Valincius to its second-team All-America team.
Reese, a junior third baseman from Canton, Texas, became the third player in program history to hit 20 or more home runs in back-to-back seasons. The Bulldogs’ leadoff hitter started all 62 games this spring, batting .336 with 23 doubles, 24 home runs and 74 RBIs. His home run total ranks fourth in school history for a single season, and his 45 career homers tie him for ninth all-time at Mississippi State, according to the school.
Reese was also a second-team All-American last season and earned first-team All-America honors from Perfect Game this year. The Southeastern Conference leader in doubles and eighth in single-season school history, he was also named a second-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Jacob Parker, a freshman outfielder from Purvis, Mississippi, set a school record with 18 home runs this season. He posted a .339 batting average with 62 RBIs, appeared in 53 games and made 44 starts. Parker finished second on the team in homers and RBIs and third in batting average and stolen bases, with seven.
Perfect Game named Parker its Freshman of the Year and a first-team Freshman All-American. The NCBWA also selected him as a first-team Freshman All-American.
Left-hander Tomas Valincius, a sophomore from Lithuania, posted an 11-2 record with a 3.50 ERA. He struck out 134 batters and walked 20 over 97 2/3 innings. His 134 strikeouts rank eighth in school history for a season, and his 11 wins tie for 10th. Opponents batted just .230 against him, and he led the SEC with 86 strikeouts during conference play.
Valincius received first-team All-America honors from the NCBWA and was a second-team pick by Perfect Game. Mississippi State had six players named to the ABCA All-Region teams earlier this week, with Reese, Parker, and Valincius earning first-team honors. Bulldog designated hitter Noah Sullivan was also named to the first team, while first baseman Reed Stallman and second baseman Gehrig Frei earned second-team recognition.
Since the program’s inception, 87 Bulldogs have earned a total of 174 All-American honors, according to the school. Fans can follow the team on social media by searching ‘HailStateBB’ on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
